Technical Field
Embodiments of the present application generally relate to a cleaning device and an image forming apparatus, such as, a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, a plotter, or a multifunction peripheral (MFP) device including a toner conveyance device.
Description of the Related Art
Typically, an electrostatic latent image formed on a photoconductor as an image bearer is visualized as a toner image by a developing device. The toner image is transferred to a transfer material such as paper, and fixed as a visualized image in an image forming apparatuses such as printers, copiers, facsimile machines, and MFTs having those capabilities. An un-transferred toner on the photoconductor is leaned from the photoconductor by a cleaning blade which contacts to the photoconductor and conveyed to the developing device or a waste toner container by a conveyance member such as a screw or a coil.
As image forming apparatuses are being made smaller, a temperature in the image forming apparatus is increased, which deteriorates a fluidity of toner used in the image forming apparatus. As fluidity deteriorates, enhancing an ability of toner conveyance is desired. Waste toner, which is collected and stored, is agitated and cultivated by an agitator made of elastic plate with rotation of the conveyance member in order to prevent toner from clogging in the conveyance path. A free end of the agitator is arranged in an area around the conveyance member where the waste toner is accumulated. Thereby the stored waste toner is agitated and cultivated by the agitator.
Further, image forming apparatuses may include a plurality of scraping pieces or arm members at an end of the agitator. The agitator is vibrated by interlocking with the driving of the conveyance member.